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Emotional Dzvukamanja describes receiving death threats

An emotional Terrence Dzvukamanja has revealed how he alarmingly received death threats from disgruntled fans during his initial struggles at Orlando Pirates.

Dzvukamanja joined Pirates from now-defunct Bidvest Wits in 2020, and initially struggled to make an instant impact.

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However, a turn in fortunes saw the Zimbabwean attacker discover a rich vein of form on-route to a Nedbank Cup triumph, while becoming the fulcrum of the Pirates attack.

"I was receiving death threats because they [disgruntled Pirates fans] didn't want me here. Last year, from September until December 2022.

"They would come into my inboxes and even call me, I don't know how they got my number.

"But they would call me too," Dzvukamanja told Pirates TV.

"Even at the mall also, there was a time when I went to the mall, and someone told me to my face 'if you can't leave, we'll make you leave'.

"I don't respond in such cases.

"They'd keep on sending messages saying they know I was ignoring them, and if I didn't tell my agent or bosses that I want to leave, we will make you leave or they'd kill me."

The attacker admitted to struggling to handle the tense situation before rediscovering his form.

"By that time, I had to tell my parents, agent and even the boss of the team, what was happening.

"So, I was scared, I'm not going to lie because anything can happen. So, I was scared.

"Sometimes, I would come to training, but my mind was not there. It affected my game because mentally, I was not okay.

"I would say yes, I suffered from depression because sometimes I'd feel like it was better for me to drink alcohol to be able to relax or else it was too stressful.

"It was draining me emotionally. So, I can say I was depressed."

Since, his early struggles, Dzvukamanja has emerged as a vital part of Jose Riveiro's side as the Buccaneers eye a title challenge.

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